Are you aware of the fact that globally, landfills accommodate over 2 billion tonnes of waste annually, with projections showing that waste generation could double by 2050! The fact is though landfills are the most common solution for waste disposal, yet they are quickly running out of space. In fact, you will be surprised to note that in a highly developed nation like the United States alone, there are over 3,000 active landfills, with many nearing their capacities. Moreover, it has been observed that most of this plastic waste constituting landfills comes from urban areas like towns and cities where the consumption is at its peak. Additionally, this issue is exacerbated by the overuse of disposable plastic products, poor recycling rates, and the global failure to effectively manage waste disposal. Hence, the solution lies in the fact that minimize plastic waste by totally abandoning single-use plastics once and for all!

These landfills forming mountains of non-degradable waste are not just growing and spreading worldwide, causing enormous levels of pollution on land, water and air, but are also seriously affecting human health causing fatal diseases like heart problems, respiratory disorders and even cancers! Therefore, it is of utmost significance to stop this ever-rising pollution caused by overflowing landfills by protecting our land as well the valuable water resources, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, seas and oceans from getting totally choked with this unmanageable waste!

However, this is just one part of the problem. The greater challenge lies in the fact that how this huge heaps of waste, if not controlled now, would affect the future generations.

The Hidden Dangers caused by Landfills

The environmental dangers related to landfills are both immediate and long-lasting. This is because landfills lack proper containment systems, which leads to the contamination of soil and even the groundwater. Chemicals, such as e-waste, plastics and other toxic materials penetrate into the ground, entering the water supplies which are used by the people for drinking, cooking and agricultural purposes. Therefore, companies like WAE, which offer complete and sustainable drinking water solutions through its varied range of water purifiers, ROs and drinking water machines help in purifying this potable water to make it 99.99% pure for drinking purposes through its latest and technologically advanced machines.

Health Impacts of this Uncontrolled Pollution on Future Generations

The exposure to toxins leaching from landfills and poorly managed waste sites poses a significant health risk for the future generations. For instance, recent scientific studies show that individuals living near landfills face increased risks of cancers, respiratory problems, and birth defects. Additionally, the most concerning aspect is the long-term bioaccumulation of hazardous materials, such as lead, cadmium and mercury in ecosystems due to the continuous dumping of these non-biodegradable plastic materials that move through the food chain, poisoning the wildlife, plants and humans. Therefore, in order to save the environment, the existing living creatures on Earth and the
future generations, we should switch to sustainable products like glass water bottles and steel or other metallic products and completely avoid disposable plastics that creating such a menace!

Climate Crisis due to the Overflowing Landfills

Waste management is closely linked to climate crisis. Landfills are a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Therefore, we should protect the land as well as the waterbodies on Earth, particularly the freshwater bodies like rivers, lakes, ponds and reservoirs by undertaking proper and scientifically driven water resource management and soil purification techniques.

Further, the manufacturing process of the products that end up in landfills—such as plastics, electronics and other such materials release harmful carbon dioxide and other such greenhouse gases. Hence, industries, particularly the manufacturing units (whether big or small) should aim at sustainable manufacturing practices to ensure the least possible carbon ad water footprint in the evironment.

The Way Forward- A Call for Sustainable Waste Management Practices

• Reducing or minimizing waste: We should encourage a transition towards sustainable or responsible manufacturing practices, such as the use of reusable and biodegradable products.

• Enhancing recycling rates: Following the 3R Principle of the environment, such as Reduce, Recycle & Reuse, improving the overall recycling infrastructure and encouraging recycling initiatives to reduce the large quantities of waste entering both the landfills and the polluted water bodies.

• Using new and innovative technologies to convert waste into energy, reducing both waste volume and greenhouse gas emissions as well as going for water and waste retrofit solutions. And last but not the least is investing in global waste management solutions, such as encouraging the third word nations like India in developing robust waste management techniques, addressing the global waste disposal issue by implementing effective strategies today itself, so that we can mitigate the irreparable damage created by this continuous accumulation of non-biodegradable waste, precariously affecting the future generations!